Free Speech and Political Dissent (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Free Speech and Political Dissent
Abstract: At this panel, we ask just how “free” is free speech? How do we protect space for dissent? From “gag rules” prohibiting abolitionist views on the congressional floor to anarchists and communists being deported or imprisoned for sedition; and from obscenity laws to women’s right to birth control, Americans have often pushed the boundaries of politically acceptable speech, and faced robust resistance.
At this event historians Brett Gadsden, Barbara Krauthamer, Claire Potter, and Geoffrey R. Stone discuss catalytic moments where strident expressions of political thought, widely perceived to be anti-democratic in their own place and time, provoked new strictures
Author: Brett Gadsen
Author: Geoffrey R. Stone
Author: Claire Potter
Author: Barbara Krauthamer
Date: 05/18/2022
Location: American Writers Museum, Chicago, IL
Primary URL: https://pen.org/event/free-speech-and-political-dissent/
Primary URL Description: The link is for the event page which advertised and housed the registration link for the event.
Entangled Histories: Free Speech and Civil Rights from the 1960's to Today (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Entangled Histories: Free Speech and Civil Rights from the 1960's to Today
Abstract: How has the First Amendment been invoked to help or to hinder the progress of civil rights? This discussion will examine how the mid-1960s were a turning point not only for the Civil Rights movement, but also the history of free speech in the U.S. From the Civil Rights Act to landmark Supreme Court decisions, the boundaries of the First Amendment were tested in ways that affected civil rights in the decades following.
DeJuana Thompson, President & CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, along with panelists Carlos A. Ball, Michael Harriot, and Dr. Tara Y. White will dig into the rich legacy of civil rights and advocacy that has propelled social change in Birmingham and beyond. Ashley M. Jones, Poet Laureate for the state of Alabama, will open the panel at the Birmingham Museum of Art with a reading of her own work.
Author: DeJuana Thompson
Author: Carlos Ball
Author: Tara White
Author: Michael Harriot
Date: 07/28/2022
Location: Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL
Primary URL: https://pen.org/event/entangled-histories-free-speech-civil-rights-1960-today/
Primary URL Description: The link provided is for the event page to advertise and register for this event.
Restricted Access: The American History of Book Banning (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Restricted Access: The American History of Book Banning
Abstract: Censorship and book bans are nothing new in American life. In the 19th century, it was the federal Comstock laws barring the delivery and distribution of “every obscene, lewd, or lascivious” book. Today, books that highlight race, gender, or sexuality are being yanked from public shelves around the country. Join PEN America and the New York Public Library for a conversation about the history of book banning and obscenity laws on Wednesday, September 21 at the Stephen A. Schwarzman building. Ali Velshi will moderate a panel with author Laurie Halse Anderson, and scholars Farah Jasmine Griffin, Whitney Strub, and Amy Werbel. Actor André de Shields, the star of the upcoming revival of Death of a Salesman, will open the evening reading a passage from Toni Morrison.
Author: Ali Velshi
Author: Farah Jasmine Griffin
Author: Whitney Strub
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Author: Amy Werbel
Date: 09/21/2022
Location: New York Public Library: Celeste Bartos Forum
Primary URL: https://pen.org/event/restricted-access-the-american-history-of-book-banning/
Primary URL Description: The url links to the webpage to advertise and register for the event.
FLASHPOINTS: EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE HUB (Web Resource)
Title: FLASHPOINTS: EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE HUB
Author: Kristen Shahverdian
Author: Leila Markosian
Author: Erica Galluscio
Abstract: Beginning in late 2021 and continuing through 2023, PEN America and the American Historical Association (AHA) are co-hosting Flashpoints: Free Speech in American History, Culture and Society. This series presents the fascinating and complex history of free speech in American democracy to public audiences in cities across the country. The historical flashpoints highlight pivotal moments in which artists, activists, writers, filmmakers, and intellectuals tested the limits of free speech, challenging the public to redefine “freedom” and realize it anew for populations and causes that were at risk of having their liberties denied.
This educational resource hub features videos, primary sources and further resources culled from the PEN America Digital Archive. In 2023 downloadable discussion guides tailored for middle school and high school educators will be included.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://pen.org/flashpoints/
Primary URL Description: This URL goes to the webpage which houses the Educational Resource materials for Flashpoints.